Michael Yakel

Senior Director, Technology

Michael has worked in the funds transfer and payment card industries for more than 25 years.  Starting as a computer programmer and working his way into management, sales support, and business development roles, Michael has worked on some of the largest funds transfer systems in the world at places like Visa USA, American Express, First Union Bank, and First Interstate Bank.

While at First Interstate Bank and First Union Bank, Michael managed the development and support of some of the largest ATM and POS systems in the country.  At First Union Bank Michael went on to manage the design, development, implementation, and support of the first smart card based electronic wallet production systems in the United States, including the deployment of Visa Cash.  Launched in conjunction with the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, the Visa Cash debut included the world's largest sports stadium implementation of its time, in Jacksonville, FL.  While at First Union Bank, Michael helped build the first Java based bank website in the United States.

Michael was one of the original members of e-Visa, a division within Visa USA devoted entirely to e-commerce. Michael managed the Member and Merchant Sales team for many years before taking on the added role of Product Owner of Verified by Visa, the largest authentication service on the Internet.  In this capacity, Michael was responsible for all aspects of the service including production support, product enhancements, research & development, and sales & marketing.